In Truth
by Empty Pockets
Summary: Syaoran has officially left the building for Hong Kong, and Sakura doesn't like being left behind so much. Will she choose to forget her feelings?...i like it anyways. *shrugs* S/S...pleese R&R!!
1. Time Spent Apart

Note: Empty Pockets (me!!) does not own CCS in any way, shape, or form. As anyone  
  
can tell you. Party on, dudes!  
  
  
  
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~#~#~#~#~****IN TRUTH****~#~#~#~#~  
  
By: Empty Pockets  
  
ChapterONE: Time Spent Apart  
  
  
  
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"It's over…" Sakura whispered, letting a few tears escape. Tomoyo draped her arm around her best friend's shoulder and patted her arm, trying to comfort the forlorn figure. Sakura straightened up and wiped away her tears, and smiled at her friend. "I'm okay now…really." She said falsely. Tomoyo sighed, then smiled back.  
  
"I'm glad, you haven't been yourself lately. I was getting worried." In actuality, she still was worried. Sakura had been in this sad and sorry state for a week now, ever since the business with the Clow cards had come to an end, and since he had left. Tomoyo had done everything in her power to try to help her friend, but hadn't succeeded in much of anything. It was too painful for her to forget.  
  
"Oh, Sakura…are you feeling sick?" asked Chiharu, who was looking puzzled. Sakura, Tomoyo, Naoko, Rika, and Chiharu were walking back through town from school. They had stayed late at school to work on a project.  
  
"Yeah, you look a little pale." Naoko commented, fixing her glasses.  
  
"No, I'm okay, I'm just a little tired. That's all." She said nervously.  
  
"Maybe we should get going. I think it's getting late." Tomoyo suggested, her gaze still held on her friend. Sakura agreed and the group parted ways. Tomoyo walked Sakura home. They didn't talk much, just walked quietly beside each other in the direction of the Kinomoto house.  
  
The sun was beginning to set, and the sky was awash with bright orange, yellow, purple and gold light. The trees were bare and the still air smelled of the oncoming winter.  
  
"Sakura, if you ever need anything…" Tomoyo began when they had reached her front door.  
  
"I know." She replied, her eyes stuck to the ground. Then she looked up. "Thanks for all your help Tomoyo, I don't know what I would do without you." She spoke softly.  
  
"It's no problem, I just want you to be happy, like old times, ya know?" smiling, she gave Sakura a hug before setting off for her own home, with promises of calling her the very next day. Sakura stayed on her porch until her friend was out of sight, then reluctantly entered her house. She knew Touya would be on her back about getting home so late.  
  
She slipped off her shoes quietly and started up the stairs to her room. Touya leaned against the doorframe, wringing his hands in a dishcloth (he had been making dinner) and watched his little sister retreating up the stairs, her shoulders sagged and she climbed the stairs slowly. It seemed to take a lot of effort to make it to each step.  
  
Touya knew what was going on. He hadn't seen that Li kid in a while and Sakura never talked about him anymore. He frowned and decided this was not a good time to start calling her squirt and hassling her for answers, so he sighed and went back to making the  
  
Okonomi-yaki for dinner.  
  
Sakura had finally made it to her room. She had had a hard day. While she had been smiling on the outside, she was deeply pained inside, and her sides ached from a void within her. She could tell Tomoyo was doing her best to help soothe her feelings, but she just couldn't help but miss him as much as she did She softly closed the door and leaned against it for a few moments, before hobbling over to her bed and sitting down on it. Kero was asleep in the drawer of her desk, she could tell because he had not bothered to barrage her with questions of her whereabouts yet today. She thought it strange Touya had not done so either.  
  
She idly stared at her feet, not sure of what to do with herself…it was getting harder with everyday. She knew if he could see her, in this weakling condition, he would have probably poked fun at her. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the card that had materialized before her very eyes the day Syaoran left for Hong Kong. Staring at the front, a slight smile formed on her lips. She still had hope, even when there was so much doubt, at least she had hope.  
  
****~****  
  
At the Li mansion in Hong Kong, Yelan Li sat in her room with needlework on her lap. A peaceful breeze was blowing the flimsy lace curtains gently about through the window. She paused from her busy work to look out the window where she spotted her youngest child. Ever since he had arrived home from Tomeoda, he had been sullen and brooding, even more so than when he first started on his journey to capture the Clow cards. She had been disappointed when the other child, some Japanese girl…she couldn't remember the name particularly, had been named Mistress of the Cards instead of her son becoming their rightful master.  
  
But she knew better than to reprimand him for losing to her. She longingly stared at her son, desperately wanting to help him; it was obvious he wasn't himself. Yelan wasn't one to meddle in people's business, and she thought gossip was for fools. Strictly speaking that she didn't stand for much nonsense either. But she knew who could help her find out what was troubling her Xiao-Lang.  
  
The morning was certainly beautiful. Xiao Lang had become partial to walks; he now took them whenever he needed to clear his head and when his memories became too painful to bear. His arms folded behind his back, he continued to walk quietly down the dirt pathway in the large gardens of his mother's property. She often told him it would soon be his, when the elders decided, that is. He didn't want to think of that though. He had always thought his future would include Sakura, but now he wasn't quite so sure. It had taken a lot of courage for him to admit his defeat to his mother.  
  
But he knew one thing he could never tell Yelan was how he felt about the beautiful and wonderful girl he had left behind in Japan. He was sure she didn't feel the same about him. He had always been able read her like a book, and he was positive that she didn't like him in the way he wished she would. Sure, they had been nothing short of being best friends, but it would never be anything more than that.  
  
As if in answer to his mood, a slight wind blew through the trees and rustled his glossy brown hair. A few petals from the trees above him lazily fell to the ground carried by the wind. He held out his hand and a petal softly landed on his palm. A sakura petal, delicate and a pale pink.  
  
He quietly studied the petal, and it strongly reminded him of her. He could remember the way she smiled and laughed, and how the room would light up when she entered. And the way her eyes would sparkle when she looked at him.  
  
Still in his quiet reverie, he remembered the many adventures they had not too long ago now; even when they had been rivals. He frowned. He didn't think he could stand much more of this. He was too far away and already out of her life.  
  
"Hey, Xiao Lang!" He recognized the unmistakable voice coming from behind him right away. Clenching the petal into his fist, he turned his head to face the intruder upon his solitude.  
  
It was Meillin, it was always Meillin. She looked at him with an inquiring look on her face, her black hair was pulled into its signature buns. "How goes it, fiancée?" she said just a tad bit too cheerily.  
  
  
  
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^_^; End of chap. 1! Tell me what ya think! I appreciate it greatly…even flames! (Constructive flames, I meant!! O, just be nice to me! )  
  
***Sorry there isn't much dialogue in this…but the story will pep up some more in the next couple chapters or so. Promise!!!!!!*** 


	2. Probably Forever

Note: I do not own CCS in any way, shape, or form…well duh! ^_^  
  
  
  
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1 In Truth  
  
By: Empty Pockets  
  
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chapterTWO  
  
"Probably Forever"  
  
  
  
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Sitting under the usual tree mid-afternoon, Sakura slowly unfolded her napkin and began to unpack her lunch. She smiled as she saw that her father always pulled out the stops when it came to making her school lunch. It looked very good.  
  
The summer had passed, without any incidents relating to the cards, which came as a surprise. It seemed as though her troubles of ruling the cards really had come to an end. (She was now thirteen years old, but still felt twelve).  
  
Now that she was back at school, she could focus her mind on other things, namely anything other than Syaoran. She still blushed at the drop of a hat whenever she thought about him.  
  
"Are you alright?" Tomoyo asked, noticing the sudden coloration of Sakura's face (as if she didn't know why already).  
  
"Of course, of course I am!" she said, getting redder by the minute.  
  
"Okay then…" Tomoyo stopped, not wanting to embarrass her friend any more. "Hey, I haven't seen Kero around much lately. What's he been up to?"  
  
"Not much…he's as lazy as usual, and eats twice as much as before. You'd think he was trying to gain weight or something." Sakura grinned. A stuffed animal couldn't gain weight!  
  
"I bet he's getting ready to hibernate for another century or two!" Tomoyo joked.  
  
"Yeah…"Sakura nervously laughed. 'What if Kero is really going back to sleep, like when he did when Clow Reed died. No, what am I thinking? Kero wouldn't leave me!' She shook her head of her disturbing thoughts.  
  
"Sakura? I was only kidding!" Tomoyo could sense her best friend's uneasiness.  
  
"Oh, I know, I'm just worried about that math test we have to take today…It's not my strong point, you know!" she lied, and began to eat her lunch which she had completely ignored up until now. Tomoyo seemed to be satisfied by this answer (it was no lie that Sakura hated math with a passion) and continued eating.  
  
  
  
******  
  
The rest of the school day was uneventful. Sakura found herself glancing at Syaoran's empty seat behind her every now and then. It was a habit she had picked up by now. She remembered how scared of him she had been upon their first meeting. Sakura was off in her daydreams again, and it wasn't until the bell rang for the end of the day, that she was snapped out of them.  
  
Quickly she scooped her belongings into her backpack and left the room. Naoko and Tomoyo were waiting for her outside the door, and the three began walking home.  
  
On their way out of the school, they spotted Chiharu and Yamazaki. From snatches of conversation the girls could gather as they walked by, Yamazaki was feeding Chiharu some fib about the ancient sport of Ping-Pong.  
  
The three giggled as Chiharu clapped her hand to his mouth to shut him up, and she sweat-dropped big time. Yamazaki noticed them walking by, and squirmed out of his girlfriend's grasp to run over to them, pulling Chiharu along with him by her wrist.  
  
"Hey, Kinomoto!" He called. There was a slight urgency in his voice. The three girls turned to face them. Tomoyo sensed it was important and quickly started up a conversation with Naoko and Chiharu. Yamazaki smiled. "Have you heard from Li-kun lately? You know, he left without saying goodbye to me, his best buddy!" he joked. Sakura froze; what could she say? 'Yes, he's doing great in his home all the way in Hong Kong without me?'  
  
Actually, she had never talked to him since he left last summer. She was too embarrassed to write to him, as if she was afraid she would accidentally spill her feelings on paper.  
  
Yamazaki was looking confusedly at her. Had he said something wrong? "I just figured since you guys were kinda close and all, you could give me his address, I wanna write to him and stuff, since he just left without sayin' good riddance or anything."  
  
Sakura bit her lip and twisted a lock of hair. He had said goodbye to her; and she regretted that day. "I'm sorry, I haven't got it. I have to go now, I'll see you on Monday." And with that she turned around and dragged Tomoyo by her hand away from Naoko and Chiharu, in the direction of her house; leaving a very confused Yamazaki behind.  
  
Tomoyo was taken by surprise. "We'll see you guys later!" she called back to them over her shoulder. She dared not ask what was wrong now.  
  
Naoko was still looking confusedly at the pair walking away, but Chiharu was giving her best glare of doom at her boyfriend, as if to say 'What did you do now?!'  
  
Yamazaki sheepishly grinned. "Was it something I said?"  
  
  
  
******  
  
The best friends were almost to Sakura's home. Tomoyo was listening to the radio on her Walkman, which was just as well because Sakura was deep in thought.  
  
'I can't believe I just froze up like that at the mention of his name. I keep thinking I'll get over him with time…but…I can't just forget the feelings I have! Even if he doesn't feel the same way, I know I will probably forever.'  
  
"Tomoyo? Can I ask you a question?" she said shyly, not believing she was about to admit this aloud.  
  
"Do you know why I have been so strange lately?" she winced at the absurdity of her question, but continued to look imploringly at her friend. Tomoyo snapped off her Walkman and put down the headphones around her neck, and thought for a moment. Sakura knew she could expect an honest answer from her.  
  
"Yes, I've been wondering what was up with you. But I put two and two together, and I suppose I know why." She said.  
  
"Then you have to help me. I can't help feeling the way I do; it's really hurting me, missing him so much, and knowing he won't ever feel the same. I miss his eyes and his hair, and the way it would feel when we would accidentally touch. And how he has always been there for me, especially when the cards were loose. He was so perfect, and I never could see that, I'm so naïve, I missed all this when he was here and now he won't be coming back!!!" She had gotten swept up in the moment and hadn't even noticed the tears welling up in her eyes. She felt ashamed for crying and for spilling out her heart just like that.  
  
"Oh, Sakura…" Tomoyo's voice was filled with anxiousness. " You don't know that he won't be coming back! And I'm positive that he misses you! How could he not? It'll be rough for a little while, but in time you'll feel better." She assured.  
  
"But Tomoyo! You're forgetting that it's been over a whole summer and I'm still a mess! Will you help me get over him? I don't want to ever forget him, but I can't keep walking around all torn up like this. It feels like we just broke up, but we've never even been on a date before. Please help me!" she pleaded.  
  
"God, Sakura, what do you think I've been trying to do for the past couple months?" she laughed.  
  
Sakura blinked. "You knew that long?" (gasp! Now that's unheard of!)  
  
Tomoyo giggled. "I knew for a long time…I also knew you guys looked so KAWAII together!" She gave a wide smile, as Sakura slapped her forehead with her palm.  
  
"Hoeeee!!? Tomoyo! Stop it!" she shouted, as she began to laugh. Not to mention blush a very, very deep crimson.  
  
"I'm sorry," she apologized, still chuckling. "Of course I will help you, what are best friends for?"  
  
"Thanks Tomoyo, you're the greatest!" she said appreciatively, her tears already dried.  
  
"If it makes you feel any better, I miss Eriol terribly!" Tomoyo admitted, glowing a pale pink. Sakura didn't whether she was joking or not. The two continued to joke, making their sides ache, until they reached the Kinomoto household.  
  
"Ja ne!" Sakura bid her friend goodbye as she turned the knob of her front door. Tomoyo waved goodbye cheerfully in reply, and continued down the street to her own home.  
  
Sighing, Sakura entered her home. She didn't want to forget Syaoran at all, and the last thing she wanted to do was lose her feelings for him.  
  
But the hollowness inside would not go away until he would come back, and she was absolutely sure that would never happen, no matter how much she wanted it to. She needed to heal.  
  
But…  
  
God, it had felt great to laugh like that again.  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Well, that's chapter 2…hope ya liked it. And don't worry, I have a somewhat enjoyable plot for this fanfic planned…so stay tuned peoples!  
  
: P 


	3. Fiancee Won't go Away!

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3 Anyway…  
  
4 I don't own CCS in any possible way…im just that dumb.  
  
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6 ( AN: down with CC! The dubbing ruined every single interesting thing on that show. I AM MAD! )  
  
oh yeah…The fanfic begins…..NOW~!  
  
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11 In Truth  
  
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By: Empty Pockets  
  
ChapterTHREE  
  
"Fiancée won't go away!"  
  
  
  
  
  
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The Li Mansion was a lonely place for Xiao-Lang. Sure, it was big and beautiful, but it was endless hallways and countless rooms that held nothing for him; and it was exactly the same as when he had left it.  
  
Not to mention he had many sisters, and he was the youngest of all of Yelan Li's children. He had lived here mostly all of his life, and yet Tomeoda had many more happy memories than this place.  
  
Ever since he had returned home, he had been back to his rigorous training schedule every day. He realized how much he had gotten out of shape during the two years he had spent in Japan.  
  
Early one morning, he awoke to the crispness of a fall morning, and his first thoughts immediately leaped to Sakura.  
  
For some reason or another, he did not want to get out of bed to train. He just lay there, his hands folded behind his head and stared up at the ceiling, daydreaming of the certain light-brown haired girl that had been haunting his mind.  
  
For the umpteenth time, he wondered how she was doing and if she was okay. He always felt so relaxed when he thought about her.  
  
As he drifted off into his memories, he didn't notice about four of his sisters creep into his room and crouch around him, like cats ready to pounce on their prey.  
  
  
  
**&**&**  
  
Across the manor, Yelan was having her morning cup of tea and looking over some documents.  
  
"Excuse me Ma'am, would you like some more toast?" Wei, their butler, gestured toward the empty plate littered with crumbs. It was at this time that they heard an unusually loud uproar emanating from Xiao Lang's room.  
  
"Arrgh! BAKAS! GET OUT!" He roared, as he chased his childish siblings out the door and quickly slammed it closed behind them. Lately, they seemed worse than ever, or else he was getting more and more short-fused every day.  
  
Sighing, he began to get dressed, and as he messily brushed his stray hairs to the side with his fingers, he noticed the pink sakura petal lying on his dresser table.  
  
Lightly he ran his finger over it. It hadn't wilted the slightest bit. He almost felt stupid for keeping it, for it really held no meaning. Yet he felt a sense of peace knowing it was there.  
  
Grabbing his sword from where it hung on the back of the chair in the corner of his spacious bedroom, he left for the room set aside just for him to train. He didn't feel like eating breakfast, and he could escape his memories while he was training. Her jewel-bright emerald eyes were never far from his thoughts.  
  
****  
  
Cchnk! Fwp chnk! The cold metal of his sword came in contact with the wooden post. Thnk! Chnk! His moves were as quick as lightning and twice as damaging. He showed no mercy today.  
  
From where she stood, hidden by a stone pillar, Mei Ling watched him with a bubbling curiosity. Studying him she noticed how he immersed himself into his training every morning, as if his life depended on it. He was growing stronger and stronger with each day. And it seemed he grew more and more distant from her, with each day's passing.  
  
"Xiao-Lang!" she called. "You've been training all morning! I've brought you some drink, so you can come and take a break!" she said, offering him a cup filled with liquid and a bright smile.  
  
He only continued to ignore her. Mei-Ling's face grew dark, as he gave no response.  
  
Xiao-Lang, you never pay attention to me anymore…why?!" she whined, already knowing the answer.  
  
Taken aback by her sudden outburst, he paused mid-swing of his sword. Sighing, he leaned against it and wiped clumps of sweaty brown hair out of his eyes. Mei-Ling felt uncomfortable under his steady glare, but glad he had finally taken notice of her. He took the cup from her and threw its contents down his throat, thrust it back into her hands and resumed his training, all in swift movements.  
  
She stood astounded, clutching the now empty cup. The scene she had imagined had at least involved a thank you.  
  
"Arrogant idiot" she muttered under her breath. She felt like screaming at him, but was sure that wouldn't even hold his attention for long.  
  
…Surely, he had not forgotten that the engagement was still on? If he was missing that Japanese brat so much, why couldn't he just go back and stay there…with her. He sure didn't want to give the time of day to his own cousin and future wife.  
  
But Mei-Ling was determined that she would capture his feelings, she would be a part of his future if it killed her. Rhetorically speaking, of course.  
  
  
  
  
  
****  
  
Woah…there's that chapter done! I really hope that it doesn't suck, I'm working hard to do this…for once it'll be the only thing I ever finish till the end. I hope this isn't too short either. Hmmm, maybe I should do less hoping, and more writing. That's the ticket! O gawd Val…never use that phrase again! ^ ^;;;  
  
Cya all next time…  
  
Byeeee!  
  
-Empty Pockets 


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